Hi. I have gotten into both Berkeley and Cambridge and I intend to major in Chemical Engineering, and I really would like some advice regarding this.
I would likely be able to graduate from Cambridge earlier than in Berkeley (3 years to Bachelors) so that I could continue on to a PhD asap. Berkeley on the other hand would take longer, probably 4 years.
I hear Berkeley’s undergraduate research is way better than Cambridge’s. Is this true?
In your opinion, which school would give me the edge in my grad school applications?
Both schools are really amazing, and I’m very happy to get into both. However, now I need to make this difficult choice, and any advice regarding this would be invaluable.
Parent here. You are comparing a UK school to a US school. At Cambridge, you have one major to finish in 3 years. In US, you can explore and learn what you really want to major in. If you are very sure on your major, Cambridge is a good choice. Their one on one teaching by professors is a unique experience and you will get a very good recommendation letter for your graduate school application (assuming you are good). On the other hand, US school give you opportunities to study in other subjects you may not be interested in high school. Those experience could be very valuable in your character building. A lot of college students change their major in school. In this respect, US is more flexible. My S chose a US school over Cambridge for this reason.
Wow- first, congrats! that is a huge accomplishment in itself. You can’t go wrong. You will be well placed for grad school either way. We have encouraged our offspring to get their UG on one side of the Atlantic and their PG on the other, b/c it can add to your overall profile (and contacts) for life out in the workplace (ah yes- there is life beyond just getting into the next level of schooling!)
The two places are so so so different experiences that a straight comparison is exceptionally difficult. So, some points of information to get started:
- Cambridge is 3 years if you only do the BA, 4 years if you do the Masters; UCB would be exceptionally difficult to finish in less than 4- with a BA.
- Berkeley offers the option of for-credit UG research during term time, Cambridge does not. On the other hand, Cambridge has super short terms ( 3 x 8/9 weeks depending on how you count) and long breaks, during which you can do research.
3.Both unis are in and of their place- but in one case that is SF and in the other a town.
- Housing is strikingly different.
- Drinking laws are very different.
- Student populations are very different.
Do you know those differences, and are any of them important to you?
A shorter graduation time is certainly ideal. But at the same time, research may also be important for grad school application? In which case Berkeley may have an edge? I am unsure about the quality and opportunities for summer research in Cambridge.
If you are doing well in Cambridge, I don’t see any problem in getting a good recommendation letter for graduate school application from your Profs. A good LOR from a Cambridge Professor is going to help a lot in grad school application. If you want to finish your undergrad study asap, there may be a problem in Berkeley. If you read other threads in this site, you would notice some students were not able to graduate in 4 years. The school can’t open enough classes during the year due to budget cut.
Wow, are the budget cuts that severe that graduation rates are so adversely affected?